In Magicka, you don't just shoot fire or ice at things. You can combine them with electricity then shoot everything on the screen. Including your friends. And yourself.

It's the surprise PC hit of the year (so far, anyway!), and while it's had a litany of technical problems, it's also a lot of fun. If you've heard people talking about it but haven't yet seen what all the fuss is about, here's a few minutes of me killing things before setting myself on fire and dying.

Besides the carnage — which works best if you're playing with up to three friends co-operatively, as spells (especially beam weapons!) can be combined — Magicka also has a strong slant towards humour, being a parody of not just Norse mythology, but many fantasy games, genres and properties as well.

Also, apologies for the audio at the end, the EXPLOSIONS and DEATH RAYS start to drown out my voice. Not that you need my voice. You're here for the magic, not the token Australian.

Magicka was developed by Sweden's Arrowhead Game Studios, is published by Paradox, and was released on Steam on January 25. It sells for $10.